Serendipity
by Syberella
Summary: When crime is running rampant in the streets of Paris in the 1920's, two powerful adversaries, Marinette and Adrien, must work together to save Paris and prove that they aren't villains. They're just good people doing the wrong things for the right reasons. With many others against them, their chance encounter sparked a miraculous friendship that would change their lives forever.


Chapter 1: Joint

 _Hello person who is reading this! I'm Syberella but you can call me Ella. I've recently been obsessed with this show and decided to write about many of the outlandish scenarios I thought up of over the course of my time drowning in fandom trash. I've seen many AUs done about Miraculous Ladybug however many seem to take place in the same time period. I decided to take on the challenge of writing a story that goes back a couple decades and high the good, the bad and the saucey about the era. I included some of the historical context however I combined the atmosphere and circumstances of France with that of the United States. I'm also testing out my ability to write smut. YES. Smut. There will be a lot of steamy scenes I can assure you._

 _Now sit back and get those fingers ready to scroll through a story that will bring you back in time to the era of the Great Gatsby: the roaring twenties._

 _Fandom:_ _Miraculous: Adventures of Ladybug and Chat Noir_

 _Characters:_ _The whole class of Madame Bustier and many of the villains make appearances as well as new ones._

 _Rating:_ _Teen ( ;) There will be some saucey scenes so perhaps this might go up)_

 _Disclaimer:_ _This original storyline and these characters do NOT belong to me. They belong to Thomas Astruc (Hawkdaddy) and Jeremy Zag._

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 **Chapter 1: Joint**

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The joint was full of life. Music played from the performers on the small stage in the center of the bar. There were people chatting about the latest drama and other random topics. There was definitely not a lack of cigarettes and alcoholic beveragesin  
the place either. People happily got along and enjoyed the atmosphere hidden places like this gave them.

It may sound ironic but this place was a solace for those looking to get away from the troubles of their personal lives. Here, your background didn't matter but everyone who was anyone in Paris knew about the bar. A new law meant alcohol had been prohibitedwhich  
meant that technically everyone who took a sip of any drink here was involved in criminal activity. However, that did not seem to bother anyone. Instead, it offered further incentive to consume any alcohol they could before they would have toleave  
and face the world once again.

It was going to be a special night. Tonight was the night a certain famous bluenette was rumored to make an appearance at 21 Club. She wouldn't be alone. She was going to bring a friend of hers who was also well known in her own right. Her friend wasa  
reporter known for her rather feminist point of views that were gaining traction and support lately.

The owner of 21 Club wasted no time in making sure that the bar was extra presentable tonight. He wanted to make a good impression and establish this prohibition-era establishment as the perfect hotspot to spend the night. He needed the publicity fromthe  
right kind of people and this was the chance to cater to the needs of locals who were looking to indulge in there risqué and questionable endeavors.

It was time to open and the owner gave his bouncers the order to open the doors and let the night's activities commence. People came rushing in, eager to spend as much time as their schedules permitted to stay here. It wasn't very long until the bar wasat  
full swing and its patrons were in every corner of the joint.

The owner waited, looking around from time to time to see if their special guests had arrived. The notion that the brunette and bluenette were coming here might have been a hoax fabricated by the untrustworthy media once again. He hoped that wasn't thecase  
and continued asking around for them. It was around midnight when he had almost given up hope that the ladies would ever arrive.

"Oi Adrien, they're here." A man with jet black hair and green eyes told the owner.

Adrien secretly cheered in his mind but remained his composure. "Thanks for letting me know."

He made his way to the front of the bar where there was a crowd of people circling around something. Or more like around someone. He made his way through the crowd while politely asking people to move out of the way. When Adrien finally broke throughthe  
wall of people, he saw the bluenette facing in the other direction unsurprisingly talking to her friend admist the attention they were receiving. He worked up the courage to talk to her, figuring that now was as good as ever to introduce himself.

"Bonjour mon cherie." Adrien confidently said to the woman to had her back towards him.

She slowly turned around with a confused expression on her face that quickly turned into a friendly one. "Bonjour monsier."

His confident nature quickly faltered as he stared at the woman in front of him face to face. She was breathtaking. Absolutely gorgeous. He marveled at her beauty and could help but let his jaw drop when he layed eyes on her. He knew that staring wasrude  
but he could not help himself as he questioned whether or not she was really standing in front of him or if he was just imagining things. She had this aura about her that was magnetizing and alluring. Her small smile was all the reassurance heneeded  
to know that she indeed was in front of him and she that was approachable and welcoming.

She was the revered Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Her beauty was not only breathtaking but it was truly unique. Marinette was half French and half Chinese which made her an oddity in Paris. She was a representation of how beautiful the mix of two different  
ethnicities could result in the creation of someone so special. Her diversity was a much wanted element especially in the worlds of film and media. She was no stranger to attention. All her life she was singled out whether good or bad, but now shewas  
taking advantage of her blessings and has made a living out of it.

Regaining his composure, he cleared his throat and spoke up once again. "I've heard stories about your beauty madame but they do not serve you any justice. For your beauty in person is far more exquisite than when written in articles and shown in movies."Adrien  
slightly bent down and gently grabbed her hand and kissed her knuckle.

She gave him a bright, but shy smile. "Monsier Agreste, you flatter me. For there are women much fairer than I."

"I wouldn't discredit your beauty as such. I'm certain you've captured the hearts of many."

Marinette's smile faltered. "The hearts of many? Are you implying that I woo many men?"

She was an actress. Her job was to pretend to be people she was not. However, it was becoming increasingly difficult to separate that style of living from her personal life. Yes, in the glitz and glamour of the life of an actress you wouldn't be ableto  
avoid the fixation that men would have with you. The relationship people believed to have between themselves and Marinette was merely a figment of their imagination. Not one of those people truly knew her. It might have been a bit cliché of herto  
believe that no one understood her but alas it was true.

Another price of fame was that both the media and those who consumed it assumed things about all aspects of Marinette's life. Worst of all were the people who tried to pry into her love life. Those who assumed that she was using her status or her looksto  
sleep with men. Marinette held nothing against other women who chose that lifestyle however that type of lifestyle wasn't for her.

It aggravated her when she'd encounter a man who seemed to be a decent gentlemen and then they reveal that their true motives were much more sinister. It was a shame. Marinette really would try to give people the benefit of the doubt however it provedto  
be difficult when these men would violently respond to her rejection. Their advances were not attractive in the slightest to the bluenette.

"Hardly." He put a hand to his chin. "I don't take you for a woman who fancies any man simply because caters to you. What I meant was that you win over people because you're stunning both inside and outside. That would attract people to want to get toknow  
you, therefore you win over their hearts."Marinette was taken aback by his compliment which she certainly was not expecting. "That's a big compliment for someone who has never met me before in person."

"Still well deserved nonetheless." Adrien smiled.

She blushed, unsure of what to say. Adrien spared her from having to shift the conversation by speaking up again about another matter. "You referred to me as Monsier Agreste so I take it that you know who I am?"

"It would be difficult not to recognize someone with such striking features." Marinette said, afterwards realizing that she had admitted that she found him attractive.

"I'm glad that you find my features quite pleasing to look at, Madame Dupain-Cheng." Adrien smirked.

"Don't tease me Monsier Agreste, I cannot bare your stares filled with amusement." She said, still beating herself up for admitting how she felt.

"Will do, madame." He tipped his hat.

"How scandalous." A brunette appeared, finally speaking up.

"Alya, it's not scandalous. It's just a simple conversation between two adults." Marinette placed a hand on her hip.

Alya clapped her hands together and smiled. "I think you two would make a cute pair."

"We aren't a couple! We just met!" Marinette freaked out and shook her friend.

"Was it love at first sight? That would be so romantic. The story of Adrien Agreste and Marinette Dupain-Cheng and their heart wrenching love story that will live for ages." Alya said eagerly, sputtering out anything that came to mind.

"There's no love story." Marinette corrected her.

"Not yet there isn't." Alya countered.

"Wouldn't writing an article about a possible romance contradict your other writings?" Adrien asked, confused on her insistence of a possible romance budding between them.

Alya raised an eyebrow and she gave him a mischievous look. "I see you're familiar with my work."

"I like to keep up with the tabloids often and your articles are quite intriguing. The minds of people against the common standards of society are not failing in capturing the attention of the public, including myself." Adrien rubbed the back of his head.

"Do you agree with them? Do you agree with my articles?" Alya pressured him.

"Alya! That's disrespectful. What if he doesn't want to tell you his opinions and point of views of matters that are so controversial." Marinette shook her friend once again.

Adrien laughed. "No, no. It's quite alright. If I want to try and get to know you ladies then it's only fair that I talk about myself. I am afraid I know more about you than you know about me. So it's only fair."

"See? Let the man speak, Mari." Alya folded her arms. "Go on."

"I would be lying if I said I haven't learned a thing or two from your writing. I've never been against women's right myself however I had never been one to fight for it either. Now I try to be as respectful as I can be towards women and allow them tohave  
the same freedoms as men around here because gender isn't an important factor in most of the activities here." Adrien responded.

Alya eagerly leaned in towards Marinette and whispered in her friend's ear. "He's a keeper."

"I never caught him in the first place." Marinette whispered back, aggravated at her friend's actions.

Alya stood straight again and looked at Adrien. "Very well. I see you're one that is supporting the movement which is absolutely fantastic. I'll make sure to put in a good word for you with my connections if you promote gender equality in this establishment."

"Not to worry Madame Césaire. I'll get that up and running before tomorrow night and I won't fail to meet your demands." Adrien nodded.

"Both a charmer and a respectable man. What a rarity nowadays. Where did all the good men go? Were they scared away by the prohibition act? Did the restriction of alcohol drive them to run away to somewhere they would be able to indulge in drinking withoutrestraint?"  
Alya sighed.

Adrien smiled wistfully at her compliment. "I'm sorry that you haven't found anyone that suits your fancy. If I may, would it be alright if I introduced you to a comrade of mine who would be able to both help me meet those requests you asked of me andwho  
may know of some young men who suit your interests?"

"That's fine with me." Alya unfolded her arms and brushed out the wrinkles in her dress.

Adrien put two fingers on the edge of his mouth and blew. The odd whistle that came from his lips caused a man to come running through the crowd of people in a rush. The man had a darker skin tone than both Marinette and Adrien. His eyes were a heartwarmingshade  
of brown and his attire was formal but inexpensive.

"Nino, would you care to help Madame Césaire spread the news of her writings and introduce her to the group?" Adrien asked him.

"No problem, Adrien." Nino nodded, turning his attention to the brown-skinned beauty who was intently watching him with hazel eyes.

"Nino Lahiffe." Nino introduced himself, extending a hand.

Alya eyed his hand cautiously for a couple seconds before she gave him a subtle smile. "Alya Césaire."

The two of them shook hands and Nino led Alya away to another spot in the bar. This left Adrien and Marinette alone in the busy bar. Marinette did not know what to say. She had just complimented his looks accidentally and she was feeling quite flusteredand  
embarrassed. Alya had spared her the trouble of bouncing back from her embarrassment but now that her friend so eagerly ditched her she drew a blank. She looked at him, having trouble finding the right words to say to him.

Adrien broke the silence. "Would you like a drink?"

"Oh no, pardon me but I don't drink." Marinette quickly dismissed the offer.

"How curious. Coming to a bar but not getting anything to drink? I would assume that you came here simply for the atmosphere then." Adrien inquired.

"Yes and no. It is nice to get away from the cutthroat world of acting for a change. It's a time for Alya and I to let loose. Unfortunately, I'm afraid that I'm not quite used to the concept of having fun. Sorry for being such a buzzkill." Marinette frowned.

"No need for apologies. I understand that swapping from one lifestyle to another is not particularly as easy as a snap of a finger. However, would you allow me to help you break out of that mold for the time being?" Adrien extended his hand out to her.

Marinette glanced at his hand and looked back up at him. "I cannot possibly permit you to step away from your job and do something such as this."

"Think of it as an activity that benefits me as well." Adrien looked at his hand hoping that she'd agree.

She bit her lip and slowly extended her arm towards his hand. "You wouldn't hurt me right?"

His eyes widened at the unexpected question from the bluenette. "I will try my absolute best not to do so."

For some unknown reason, she felt inclined to truly believe him so she let him take her hand and pull her away from the buzz of the nightlife into the lulling sounds of the silence outside.


End file.
